Eight-year-old girl bashed up by cops in Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow, Feb 3 (IANS) In a shocking display of brutality, police in an Uttar Pradesh village pulled an eight-year-old girl by her hair and repeatedly slapped her for allegedly stealing Rs.280. Komal cried and pleaded for mercy Monday as the cops in Etawah district’s Kailokhar village, about 300 km from here, pulled her up by her hair, twisted her ears and rained blows. Unfortunately for them, it was all caught on TV cameras.

As shocked TV viewers all over the country watched the child, dressed in bedraggled clothes, being beaten up, police swung into action.

Etawah’s district police chief K.S. Singh told IANS: “We have already placed the Jaswantnagar SHO (station house officer) Chandrapal Singh under suspension. Another inspector involved in the incident has been dismissed.”

An inquiry has also been ordered, he said.

“Criminal action will be taken against all the cops involved in the incident,” Additional Director General of Police (law and order) Brij Lal added.

A senior police officer said on condition of anonymity that no money had been recovered from the girl, who has now been sent home.

Police said that a villager had taken Komal to the Jaswantnagar police station complaining that she had taken the money.